Harsh Reality
by MidnightXSky108
Summary: Hanataro is fully aware that he is hopeless when it comes to love Especially since he has fallen for one of the ryoka, Uryuu! How will he be able to talk to him if he is always pushed away? Rated T. YAOI/ POSSIBLE LEMONS
1. The Beginning of Nothing

Chapter 0ne: Beginning of Nothing

It was clear to everyone, even to himself, that Hanataro was hopeless. Not only in fighting, but with love too. Out of all the 13 squads in the Seretai, out of who knows how many people in the 13 squads, out of all ways and places to trip and land on his face, he fell in love with someone who it would be impossible to have. One of the Ryoka. The Quincy Archer, Uryuu Ishida.

Deep down, he figured it was bad enough that he was helping Ichigo save Rukia, as much as he wanted her to be safe and alive, but loving one of the group was a lot more than betrayal. It was more like suicide. It twisted his thoughts when he stared out the window, watching him walk the streets and it put bruises on his heart every time he saw him and meet the cold glare from behind the glasses. Why Uryuu didn't like Hana, he would never understand, but it would hurt more to be away from him, since being near him took away most of his thoughts and replaced them with fear.

Hana sighed, turned away from the bright moon outside of his window, and laid on his bed, not even bothering to change out of his clothes.

"Why am I feeling like this? I ve never really spoken more than a few words to him….I don't even know him….This is stupid." He thought. He looked back to the window and yawned softly.

"Will I…be able to forget him….when I go back to the Soul Society?" He wondered, drifting off to sleep, waiting for his dreams to take him into the arms of the Quincy he longed for. Instead, his dreams took his to a field of colorful flowers, blowing in the breeze. He looked around curiously, then looked up to find who he had been waiting for. He smiled, then giggled shyly, a soft blush appearing on his cheeks. He ran to the other boy, catching himself before he could fall. He stopped and laughed as he tried to catch his breath. He looked up, staring into the cold, framed eyes he was used to that glared from the bright sun, taking some of his happiness away.

"U-uryuu!" he chocked, trying to remember how to breathe.

"…_Why_ do you keep following me around?" Uryuu asked, folding his arms across his chest.

"W-w-well, I…" Hana blushed, scratching the back of his neck.

"Hm. Don t talk to me anymore…" He turned and walked away into a never-ending abyss of dark. "Its bad enough that I have to be with Ichigo….but another soul reaper….never."

"N-no! Please, wait!" Hana cried hopelessly, falling to his knees, failing to hold tears back. He hears something shatter, like glass. His heart?

"U-uryuu….don t go…." He sobbed. He was all alone.

Hana turned and trembled in his sleep, griping his pillow tight and holding it close. His dreams were too much like reality, which upset him sometimes. This was not what it was supposed to be like. They are supposed to be a place of peace. Whatever he imagined. Hana was supposed to be in the Quincy s arms. He was supposed to have chills go up and down his spine when he wrapped his arms around him and whispered in his ear. He was supposed to brush his cheek, and to be pulled into a sweet, soft kiss to be informed that he would never leave him. Everything was supposed to be perfect. His dreams should be where he can be truly happy and carefree, unlike in reality.

"I-is that…..w-why you hate me?" Hana cried in his sleep.

Hanataro sat up in his bed and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, releasing that it was morning. It wasn't any other morning though. A few weeks ago, he had decided to join Ichigo s school, and today would be his first day. He looked at the clock. 7:14.

"Awww! O-oh no! I can t be late! Not on the first day!" He jumped out of bed, changed, fixed his hair, brushed his teeth, grabbed some toast, tripped over something, and ran out the door, having to run back in to grab his bag. He checked his watch at the front of the school. 7:33. Perfect. He had exactly 2 minutes to figure out where the hell he was going. And check into the office. Great. So much for coming in early. He was given his schedule, which made him even more confused about where he was.

"Let s see…..Homeroom: room A122.….aw!" Hanataro, not watching where he was going, bumped into a man much taller than he was, surrounded by 3 other men.

"Well, what do we have here?" The first man asked through an evil smirk.

"Uhm, I-I m sorry!" Hana screamed. "I-I m trying to find where I m going….."

"Aw, so you're the new kid?" A different man asked.

"Y-yes I am! Do you know where-" Before he could finish, he was pushed to the ground and surrounded.

"Aww! W-what are you doing? I-I didn't t meant to-"

They only laughed and moved closer. Hana knew what was going to happen. He was beaten up over a million times back in the soul society. The human world was no different. Hana crawled into a corner and covered his head under his arms, attempting to protect himself. Before he could scream for help, someone stepped in front of him.

"You sick bastard. Picking on the weak and defenseless. What the hell did he do to you?" a strangely familiar voice said in an angry tone. "I can t stand people like you."

'W-weak? Defenseless?' Hana thought. He looked up and blushed when he realized that Uryuu was defending him. That, and the serious eye candy in front of him. He could have taken a lot more advantage to that, if he was any other person at any other time. He remembered his dream and comparing it to now, it seemed like this was more like the dream.

" Are you alright?" Hana snapped back into reality and looked up into the framed eyes he had been dreaming about.

"uh….ahuh." Hana stuttered.

"Being new must be rough."

"Y-yea it is. And I-I ve only been here a few minutes!"

"Your Ichigo s friend, right?"

"Y-yes, I am! My name is Hanataro Yamada. Nice to meet you. Well, talk to you. We've probably met before!" Hana replied nervously. This was his first time really talking to uryuu.

"Uryuu Isida."

Hana watched as Uryuu picked up his paper off of the floor.

" A122? So, your in my class……"

"O-oh. C-can you show me where it is then?"

"…..this way." He walked away, with hana close behind. Hana couldn't help but look him up and down. He was flawless. And the light from the sun always shown on him perfectly, making him look even more beautiful.

"Are you….sure your aright? They didn't do anything to you?" Uryuu asked to break the silence. "Your bruised."

"Huh?" Hana looked at his left arm. He was right. "Y-yea I m fine. They didn't t do anything…..I must have just hit something….." Uryuu looked at hana, then back forward. Hana looked back to the floor, a soft blush making its way onto his cheeks.

"H-he s acting like he really cares…..a-and he s in my class. Can I……am I really awake yet?"

Authors comments: Well, this is my first fanfiction! and the first ever ISHIXHANA!! XD I looked on here, deviantart, photobucket, and, yes, google. NOTHING. I know its pure crack but I love them both and...it would be like the relationships Im always in. Unreturned love. lol. Im actually proud of this though its a lot for nothing right? x3


	2. A new school, a new world

Chapter two: A New School, A New World

Hanataro followed close behind Uryuu, but far enough not to be up his ass. The space between them was too great. But now, will it be able to close up? Apparently, Uryuu wanted to be friends. At least, that s what it looked like.

While Hana was in thought, they reached the door to their class. Hana snapped back into reality, not making any note of how to get to the room, as Uryuu pushed his glasses up.

"This is it." He stated, opening to door and walking into the room. Hana, distracted by watching the others graceful steps, walked into the door as it closed in his face. Uryuu chuckled softly, as if not to be heard, and opened the door.

"Must I keep the door open for you?" He asked, teasingly.

"Ah….N-no Im fine." Hana mumbled, rubbing his head. He looked over Uryuus shoulder and gasped, smiling. Ichigo!" He yelled, walking around Uryuu to see he old friend, with his so-called new one close behind.

"H-hana?" Ichigo was shocked. He didnt expect that his old rescue partner would be in his school. "What are you doing here?"

"W-well, I figured….." He started raising a finger to go with his explanation. "If Im going to live in the Human world, I should know everything I can about it! Like that juice-thing Rukia was talking about! And plus, I m so interested! Your world is _amazing_, Ichigo!"

"Oh….I see." was all Ichigo can mange to reply with. "And I see you ve met…..Uryuu…." He was confused beyond belief. A shinigami in his classroom. With Uryuu, the quiet genius who never liked to talk to almost _anyone_. And hated Shinigami. What the hell was going on?

"Y-yes I have." A small blush found it s way to Hana s cheeks, making Orihime smirk by the window. So many odd thoughts crept their way into her little orange-though-blonde-at-heart head.

"Wow…..Uryuu has a friend…..about time…" Chad mumbled to himself, though everyone heard him.

"haha…yea your right." Ichigo chuckled. Uryuu just turned and walked back to his desk.

"Aw, I dont think they meant to offend you, Uryuu!" Orihime giggled.

"….It doesn t matter what they think."

"B-but why are you getting so mad?"

"Because…..I refuse to hang around yet another soul reaper. And he is truly pathetic." Uryuu growled, making her walk over to Ichigo. He grabbed his manga from his bag, turning to the page he left off at. Hana looked over, then back to the group.

"H-h-he s scary….." Hana thought out loud. "and yet…." He mentally hit himself. Was he really about to tell his feelings to his friends? Even when he wasn t so sure himself?

"And….?" Ichigo asked, seeming more curious than annoyed.

"Uhm….interesting." Nice cover. The bell rang and the teacher entered the class. After an embarrassing introduction, Hana sat at a desk next to Orihimes, second seat, 3rd row. Unlike any normal student, he listened closely, paying attention to every detail. History seemed to interest him the most so far. Math he understood. And science, only the basics. He would learn more about that after lunch.

--

"I don t understand, Rukia…." Hana said, staring down at the table in frustration.

"It s hard at first, but you ll understand soon enough…."

"Ha! I-I think I got it!" Hana exclaimed, holding his little juice box in victory.

"Wow…." Rukia stared in disbelief. "_You_ mastered it even before _I_ did…..impressive."

Hana laughed shyly. "Now if only we can figure out how to open the little milk cartons…."

"That would take a miracle…."

Hanataro put his juice down and took a small bite of what people call a "sandwich" which he didnt understand since it was made of bread and not sand. This new world is full of mystery!

"Aw! Rukia, your friend is so _cuuute….._I just wanna hug him!" One of the other girls at table said, making Hanataro blush.

"T-thank you…?" he mumbled shyly, not really sure how to react.

"OoOo, hes shy too! Can I keep him?!" another girl teased.

"W-what?!" Hana yelled. He was getting nervous and freaked out. "R-rukia-chan, p-please dont let them kidnap me….."

"S-sorry but….he doesnt interact well….."

"Relax, we were only kidding!" The girls giggled. Hana sighed in relief.

"T-that's good….." Hana thought, eating the rest of his strange human food. "For a moment, I thought they were really going to take me away….hm….maybe they make the bread out of sand? I may never understand….. "

The bell rang and Hana walked back to class with Rukia, attempting to sneak his juice box with him, and failed, having to throw it away.

--

The day ending quickly and he walked home with the group, noticing that Uryuu was being quiet and still reading his book.

"Uryuu….." Hana called, stopping to wait for him to catch up.

"What?"

"W-what are you reading?"

"It s an action manga….with some shojo thrown in, but its still pretty good."

"S-Shojo?"

"It means….stuff to do with love."

"Ohh….. And whats a 'manga'? "

"Its a book with pictures and dialogue in it….."

"I see….." Hana noticed, by the tone of his voice and the fact that he couldnt even meet his eyes, that Uryuu had no interest in talking to him at the moment, so he went back to the others to try and figure out what they were talking about.

When he reached his house, he waved and ran straight to his room, threw his bag on the floor, and laid on his bed, staring at the ceiling. His first day in high school was great, though his everyday thoughts did not escape him for long.

"That guy is too confusing….." Hana told himself. He had nothing to do now. He remembered the title on the book, and decided that tomorrow, he would figure out how the library system worked.

**Author s note: Ta-da! Chapter two is done! I think that this is what would really happen if Hanataro ever went to Ichigo s school! Except the whole…..fan girl thing. Except if I was there x3 thats how I would act! But yea. Hana goes to school….wow. Can you tell I had fun with this? Well yea I ve been writing this til about 1:30 in the morning. Still not tired. small yawn Anyway, I hope you enjoy the story!**


	3. Bathing Suits, Daydreams, and Gym Class

Hana woke up to a loud knock at the door. He jumped up, looked at the clock, releasing how late he was, threw on his school clothes, and ran to the door, trying not to fall down the stairs. He ripped the door open, just to find that it was Rukia and Ichigo. He was a little embarrassed since he was a mess. His hair wasn't brushed, he lost one of his socks on the steps, and it was easy to tell he was in a hurry.

"G-good morning…" he smiled, trying to catch his breath.

"You okay?" Ichigo asked, looking him up and down.

"Yea. I just woke up late…"

"Well hurry up! We'll be late."

"Y-yes! I-I'll be right back!" Hana ran back up the stairs, grabbed his sock and his bag, brushed his hair, and ran back down the stairs to get his shoes before meeting them back at the door. He had to learn how to make his alarm clock wake him up early. Or at all. Finally, he was at least decent enough to leave the house.

Hana looked around, a glint of hope deep in his eyes, searching for his new "friend". He failed, but he stopped thinking since he would probably get lost om his thoughts and it the crowd of people.

"Hey, Hanataro?" Ichigo asked, making him jump.

"Y-yes?"

"….looking for anyone _special_?" He teased, laughing at the growing blush on the other s face.

"N-no! I-I-I m just…"

"Man, you _really_ suck at lying…"

"That s true…."

"…so?"

"so?"

"What s her name?"

"W-well…I-Im not sure." Hana lied again, turned away and started twirling his fingers around each other. How was he going to explain that she isn't exactly a "she"? Hopefully Ichigo believed him this time.

"Well then, if you find her, point her out to me, k'?"

"Yea, coming from the man who cant remember names and faces? I dont think so…" Ruikia commented, having heard enough to understand what was being talked about. "So, is this true Hana?"

"I-is what true?"

"By the look on your face…It IS true!" She smiled cheerfully, glomping Hana from behind. "Hanas got a girlfriend!!"

"I-I-I do not!" No matter how much Hana screamed, she wouldnt get off him or stop teasing him about his so- called crush. She also wouldnt stop trying to make guess on who "she" was. With every second, it grew harder and harder not to burst out laughing, since Ruikia was making him think of Uryuu as a girl. Long, dark blue hair, white dress with a little quincy cross on the back, glittery eye shadow and a thin, white ribbin. And a puppy. For some odd reason, he could picture him being surrounded by puppies and flowers. Were these feelings just hormones or was he _REALLY_ turning gay? He would be sitting under a tree, reading his manga, in the middle of summer. No wait. Summer. 'Summer equals bathing suit.' Hana thought, having to be the dirtest thing he ever thought of, even though it isnt. Blue bathing suit. Mmmmm. Crap he was being a girl in this thoughts. Blue bikini. Hana could have sworn he had a small nosebleed. In his mind, Uryuu looked like one of those sexy, perfectly thin-but-not-anorexic, big-chested supermodels. H-O-L-Y S-H-I-T! Hanataro shook those thoughts out of his mind. Uryuu was a million times sexier as a man then as a women…but damn. Does he have a sister?

Somehow, he had found his way to his class, though 10 minutes late since he couldnt fingure out how to open a locker. And he couldnt find his. And he had to figure out to get out of it after he opened it. Yay for teachers. Then he had to get some really cute brunette away from him. Such a sweet girl…hopefully they can be friends. He took a deep breathe and walked in the room. Everything looked exactly like it did the other day. That was a good sign.

"Good morning!" He cheerfully smiled at his little group of friends, all except one. He turned around and blushed, then shook it off and leaned over his desk. Uryuu looked up from his book, grunted, and then looked back down at the pages.

"Hm….you're a cheery person……" He mumbled, not really wanting to talk to the shinigami.

"mmhm." Hanataro nodded.

"…and I dont like people you."

"...uhm... d-do you want me to be depressed?"

"Thats a dumb question. Of course not. I just dont like you. So dont talk to me anymore."

Hana froze, and turned away and sat in the desk in front of the boy who just went from being his friend to the one in his class that he doesnt talk to in about 10 seconds.

The teacher started class. Math. Algebra to be exact. Hana leaned his face in his hand and stared at the open math book, but not reading the pages. As much as he wanted to learn, he found it hard to concentrate. He no longer thought of his semi-orgasmic images of summer. He no longer thought of his future. Or of the life he thought they would have together in time. The same words kept ringing in his head. Over and Over. Until.

"hm…lets see…who can anwser…um…Hanataro?"

"Hm?" Hana mind snapped back into place.

"That is your name, right?"

"Y-yes. Thats right. And your anwser is 6."

"Good. now if you look on the next page, you will see…."

Hana stared at the clock and back out of the window. He still had another half an hour til his next class, whatever it was. It didnt matter. As long as it wasnt homeroom anymore, he didnt care.

"Um….Ichigo?" Hanataro asked, looking back and forth between a squishy ball a little smaller than his head and his friend, who made everything seem so simple. Like now.

"This is a game, Hana." Ichigo stated as a fact. "Its called Dodgeball. You throw those balls at the other team, and if you hit them, they get out."

"EEEAAAHHH!!" Hana screamed, a cold chill running up his spine. "T-t-that doesnt sound very safe!"

"It isnt…. This class is only pointless danger." Uryuu mumbled from behind. Hana looked back through the corner of his eye, then back to Ichigo.

"Why is he so negative?" Hana asked Ruikia, like she knew him more.

"I have no idea…."she answered. Just then, the whistle blew and balls flew in the air. Hana bent back and almost hit the floor trying to dodge one. Ruikia was swiftly passing each one and knocked out two boys out in one shot. Uryuu and Ichigo were having a little trouble and saw it as a battle, but they couldnt use arrows or a Zambatou. Orohime and Chad were on the other side, obviously not as good at this game as the people on his side were. It was really cool! And Hana learned something from this strange challenge. He could apparently throw decently hard and had an almost accurate aim. Ruikia cheered and sent him a smile and thumbs up. At least someone was proud of him!

The whistle blew again and everyone went back through separate doors. One to the right with a picture of a stick man on it and one to the left with a picture of a stick man in a dress on it. Hana quickly figured out which on NOT to go in. Common mistake, right? He entered the other room, clearly embarssed by all of the guys laughing at him, and found his own corner to change in. He couldnt help but look back through the corner of his eye at the ones he knew so well. He was even more perfect than he had pictured this morning! He knew that the other wanted no connection to him, but he can still look, cant he?

He walked home, far behind everyone else, though only some people noticed, like Orohime and Ruikia. Some of the boys noticed, but paid no attention. They walked back more to join him and he faked a small smile. High school was fine. Not too complicated, not too easy when it comes to work. People where a little mean, but there were kind people there too, that he noticed. He had taken note of the look in Orohimes eyes and recognized it as the one he had too. He had no idea who she was looking at, but it was clear that it was only hard for those who are despretly in Love. Not just in school, but all life seems to stand still and nothing seems to make sence. That was how love worked.

**Authers note: Sorry that this took so long to write! I had to finish reading a book for school and I had my vacation to Cancun and etc, not to mention my slight writers block. But its done! Chapter 3.…not as planned out but still cute. And Hanataro apparently has a very dirty mind! (Hana can get sexual too!) who would have thought? Well, enjoy and chapter 4 wil lbe up soon :3 when I get ideas…..and time. Now I have to read "**_**To Kill A Mockingbird"**_**. Never, I repeat, NEVER read **_**"Treasure Island"**_**. It is the WORST book Ive ever read next to **_**"The Westing Game". **_**I hate them so much. Stick to yaoi. Or Twilight. Lol. **


	4. Sweet dreams?

Hanataro screamed in terror as he jumped- almost flew- out of his bed. He looked around the room, trying to catch his breath. It was dark. He was shaking and his cheeks were stained with tears, but that didn't stop them from falling. He curled his body in a ball and cried. His dreams were hurtful before, but they were never this scary. He had never felt so empty before. He dreamed that he was chased, thrown to the ground and shot….with a glowing, blue arrow. And if that wasn't scary enough, he had to see _his_ face again. The look of hate in his glass-covered eyes, screaming about his uselessness because of what he was. A soul reaper.

He ended up not sleeping through the rest of the night. When the alarm clock went off, on time for once, it was instantly thrown at the wall and almost shattered into pieces. The sun in the window burned his eyes, the birds were annoying the hell out of him, and he just wanted to scream. He didn't even realized that he had memorized the way to school, though he did curse under his breathe when he noticed he lost himself in the hall again. The guys who tried to kill him on his first day backed down from there plans to attack him while he was alone when they could almost _feel_ the dark, flaming aura on him. No one said a word to him when he walked in the room; the look in his eyes made everyone afraid. Except the one responsible for his anger. Though he didn't realize that was the case and he seemed cool and normal, Uryuu was laughing inside. Who knew it would be so entertaining to see a pissed-off shinigami? No, maybe it was just the reactions other people were having at the sight of him, the small, defenseless little soul reaper. That was probably it.

As the class began, Hana closed his eyes and took a breath to calm down. He sank into his desk and completely ignored what he was supposed to be learning. As he thought, his anger turned into depression. At least now he wouldn't scream or try to hit someone, but now he just wanted to sit in a corner and die. Well, not die. Just maybe try to get a hold of himself. Or find some tape to fix the hole in his chest. But you can't do that sitting.

--------

"Who knew _you_, of all people, can make an entire room of humans actually _tremble _in fear?" The voice from his dreams laughed. Hana looked up and glared at him in hate and disgust, before trying to open his locker…again after some guy closed it on him…again.

"Yesterday, you said you want nothing to do with me…." Hana growled under his breath. "and now, you come and find me to insult me. Why not just ignore me completly?"

"It wasn't all insulting….that was half of a compliment. I'm impressed. You seem completely harmless. "

"In normal circumstances, I am harmless. But you….I can't _stand _you. Try and, at least, make a _little _sense!" Hana slammed his locker shut and tried to storm away, but Uryuu followed despite knowing that he wasn't wanted.

"Yes, I did say I wanted nothing to do with you. I say that to everyone. Your no different." Hana took a sharp breath and just stared at him for a moment. So it wasn't anything personal? He just wasn't social? The thought of that made him almost….happy.

"…and I realized since your with Ichigo and the others, I'm gonna have to put up with you. So I'm just warning you now; Don't expect us to be anything close." Hanataro stopped at the door to his class and watched Uryuu walk away. He noted how his grace seemed to fit his flawless figure. But shook that thought away. He opened the door and took his seat next to Rukia and couldn't help but smile, just a little.

"You seem better now that the morning's almost over…." She smiled back, knowing that she didn't need to be afraid now.

"Y-yea…I'm just tired. S-sorry about that…." He sighed. The day only started and it was already too much for him to handle.

**Author's note: Finally finished! and it only took about….2monthes. _ Goman! I'm sorry for the wait! I've been so out of it…between having no ideas, homework…. my own troubled love story, and reading New Moon. So sad but so great.**

**Never bother Hanataro when he is pissed off! :O He seems cute but he will EAT you!!! **


	5. Ill Protect You If I Can Heal You Later

Hanataro walked along the street. It was a Friday afternoon, school was over for the week, and the weather was warm, so he figured 'why not take a break from the misery of your thoughts and go for a walk?' Unfortunately, his constant worries refused to leave him alone. At least he was able to get away from his barely social, dark haired beauty for a couple of days. He didn`t know if that was calming or disappointing. Either way, he was free. Then a strange sensation traveled through his body with he passed a tree.

"W-what the-"

Hana gasped and froze. He was able to recognize a familiar spiritual pressure nearby that was accompanied with a foreign one. He turned his attention to the field that was below the hill he was standing on. Just when he thought he was "Uryuu-free", he stood and watched glowing blue arrows being shot from his hands and striking a hollow while his own body was cut in return.

"What….what is he doing....the arrows aren`t…..AHHH!!" Hana screamed in thought since he was too nervous to speak. "Why can`t he just leave me alone and disappear?!" He threw his bag off of his shoulder and grabbed his sword. His stared at it and thought, "How can Hisagamaru do anything? It doesn`t cut! It heals! ……until……" He desperately searched the ground for something he could use. He picked up a sharp rock. He stared at it for a moment, swallowed, and barely thought of what he needed to do for his sword to have effect. He stabbed the sharp edge of the rock into his arm, gridding his teeth as it broke his skin. It was nothing, he told himself, compared to the blood _he_ was shedding. He ran a deep line up his arm, waited for the blood, and threw the rock into a bush. He took his sword and quickly waved it over his arm, impatiently waiting for the red bar on the side to fill up. With a loud 'ding!' causing the adrenaline to rush through his body, Hanataro ran down the hill.

"Get out of the way!" Hana screamed and swung his sword. Uryuu jumped away and rolled, not only because of the command or from shock, but also from the look of fury in his savior`s eyes. The glowing red energy had killed the hollow instantly and brought Hana to his knees. He panted for breath, turned to Uryuu and smiled before making an attempt to stand.

"I….Why did you….I didn`t need your help killing that t_h_i_n_g." Uryuu growled, giving Hana the usual glare. He tried to move, but pain shot through his body. He grabbed his left shoulder and bit his lip.

"Not that I doubt that, but…." He took a step closer and kneeled in front of him. "If you could have handled that, I`m sure you wouldn`t be in your current state."

"I _could_ have handled it on my own! A little cut like this is _nothing_! So you could just-"

"Please, just shut up and let me heal your wounds." Hana begged him with a smile. "Let me grab my bag and I`ll be back. Then I`ll leave you alone. I promise."

Uryuu sighed and watched the little pest run up the hill. As much as he hated it, he didn`t feel like putting up a fight with him and a couple of band-aids didn`t make a difference to him. He just couldn`t stand the thought of what had just happened. That little guy, the helpless little soul reaper, just killed, no, _destroyed_, a hollow that _he _could barely scratch?! He never wanted to kill that idiotic little _thing_ so much. He turned his head away when he saw Hana running back to him with his little chibi smile spread across his face. How did he find so much joy in helping him? Or was it the pain he was in that was so appealing to the soul reaper?

Hana tore the piece of cloth surrounding the bleeding shoulder and grabbed a towel from his bag. That was the first time he noticed the small cross that Uryuu wore on his wrist. Uryuu was ready to attack at that moment. First, the boy finishes HIS fight, now he rips his clothes?! Well, maybe he could thank him for that; now he had something to sew. He looked up for a quick moment and noticed a thin line running down the other boy`s arm. What did that clumsy idiot do this time? Last time, he ran into a door, so he could only imagine….and couldn`t help but want to laugh as he thought of the possibilities.

"There." Hana mumbled, breaking the end of the medical tape with his teeth. Uryuu stared at the boy and his shoulder with disinterest.

"….thanks for butting in where you don't belong." He stood up, ignoring Hana`s shocked and confused stare. He was hurt; after all he did to help him, after all he went through just to get him to _speak_, and Uryuu still was going to treat him that way?

"…..I-"

"I probably would have been in trouble if you didn`t show up. Who knows what could have happened. So, thank you, I suppose."

"…..um, o-oh. Y-your welcome, I guess. It was nothing, really…" Hana giggled and blushed. Uryuu watched, tried not to make a face, and walked away.

"A-are you…sure you`re alright enough to-"

Uryuu looked back. Hana understood, without any words needed to be said, that the look in his eyes was screaming something like '_I`m fine. Go be pathetic somewhere else and stay the hell away from me'. _ Uryuu turned to leave again. Hana grabbed his bag and headed home. He hadn`t realized how late it had gotten. As the sun set behind him, Hana drifted into his new thoughts about how he had just touched Uryuu`s bare skin. He felt like a fan-girl and didn`t even care. Maybe he should have kept the piece of cloth he ripped from the shirt. But that would have been a little creepy. He laughed and blushed a little, too. Now maybe tonight`s dream could be a little sweeter knowing that he was able to help his love for once.

**~* Author`s Note*~**

**YOU GUYS PROBABLY HATE ME!!!!! ;___; I`m so sorry! I have been EXTREMLY busy with endless Spanish tests**_**, Breaking Dawn**_**, the school play (best days of my life! There were so many jokes and guy on guy action and strippers and…..wow!!!!!), and not knowing what to write for this chapter. Well, actually, I didn`t know **_**how**_** to write it; I had this planned when I first had the idea to write this story. And to anyone who has read **_**Eclipse**_**, yea, I know that what Hanataro did with the rock is pretty much what Bella did in that one chapter, but I didn`t realize it until I already wrote it. So, no comments on that, please. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter that you have waited too unnessacarally long for. Also, Feliz Pasque and Happy Easter! :D **


	6. Ive Fallen Please Dont Help Me

"Damn it, Ishida! This isn`t right! This isn`t _fair_!" Uryuu yelled at himself, slammed the door to his bedroom and punched the wall. He grabbed his shoulder in pain. It hurt, but that wasn`t what was really killing him. He still felt traces off Hanataro`s hands on his skin. The boy`s bright smile was burnt into his mind, along with his kind words. They kept playing over and over and over again. Even though he had been so cold to Hana, he still just as eager and ready to help him.

"_Why am I such a jerk to him…?" _Uryuu started to wonder. Hana always greeted him in the morning, always tried to start a conversation, always stood right there beside him….and Uryuu hadn`t said one nice thing to him yet. Even as he was on his knees if front of him, making sure he wouldn`t lose an arm, he still pretended that he didn`t want Hana around, and wanted nothing to do with him.

But behind the harsh tongue and glasses, there were lies. Tons of them. Every time Uryuu walked away, he wasn`t try to shrug Hana off; He was trying to catch his breath and his hide the blush on his face. When he refused to keep up a conversation, he wasn`t trying to be cold and distant; he just never knew the right things to say. He had just started to figure out how to get along with people. But now, he just didn`t understand. No girl had ever given him these thoughts, flipped his stomache, took his breath away, or complicated his already mixed emotions. No girl had ever tried that hard to get to him. They usually gave up after one or two tries. Hanataro was sweet, he would admit that. And he had a stronger will then he would have guessed. And not to mention that he`s adorable…

"_Heh…and now I miss him_." He smiled and shook his head. He plopped down on the spinning computer chair. He felt weak, pathetic, and foolish. And yet, he kinda liked the surrender. He wouldn`t try to ignore Hanataro anymore, now that he can admit to all the things he had been denying for the past few months.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Uryuu froze before going to his locker. Hana was there, still fidgeting with the locker combination. It was too cute and sad to watch. He took a deep breath and casually walked over.

"Good morning…" He said as normal as possible. Just as the boy`s locker was forced open, he was able to open his own, drop his bag in, and grab what he needed. It was getting more and more difficult for him not to crack. He wasn`t used to this…and how can he resist something so…dare he say, 'Cute'?

"H-hello." Uryuu could tell Hana seemed embarrassed by the little tint of pink on his cheeks. That wasn`t helping him stay calm. "Feeling any better?"

"Err, yea." He snapped out of his thoughts and stumbled. Great, more lying. He was fine until he hit the wall… "Sorry to put you through all that trouble…"

"It`s no trouble at all!" Hana exclaimed through a bright smile. "I-I like being helpful. At least I can be useful…for once."

"_Don`t say that."_ Ishida thought. "_You mean a lot more to people that you know…." _

"Well, you really did help me out the other day. What was with the little scalpel-sword thing that you-" _Ding. Ding. Ding. _Stupid bell. Hanataro tried to start walking to his class, but instead, hit his head off of the locker door before closing it. Ishida tried hard not to laugh, but he couldn`t help it.

"Are you alright?" He asked with a small grin.

"It would be better if you didn`t laugh…."

"I`m sorry. I didn`t mean to, honestly." Hana just stared for a moment. It made him nervous.

"What`s wrong?"

"N-nothing…" Hana replied. "Just…oh, never mind."

"_what`s with him today?" _Ishida wondered. "_Normally, I`m the quiet one with nothing to say…and he`s the one trying to start a conversation about "God-Knows-What". Why is he so…out of it?" _So many things he couldn`t understand about this boy.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Uryuu sat in his usual desk in his English 3 class. There was no need for him to pay attention. He knew how to talk and he can read on his own time. This would normally be the class where he would put his favorite manga between the textbook to catch up on his reading. This time, however, he just started to stare across the room. Hana had his head on the desk, still rubbing where he had hit it for a moment and actually started to _read_ the book in front of him. For a split second, Uryuu felt like less of a nerd. Who pays attention in English? Correction, who actually takes time to read the book? Even he didn`t do that. And he was ranked in the Top 50 students on the exams. He saw it as a waste of time. But, maybe there wasn`t a complicated language system in the Soul Society, he thought. But that wouldn`t make sense…well, it didn`t matter anyway. Hana knew how to talk….just not to many people. He looked back at Hana for a second. He was worried, he wasn`t being his usual self. Maybe it was because it was early in the morning? Hana can REALLY bad in the morning. 'That has to be it', he decided. He would try again at lunch. Maybe by then he would have something more interesting to talk about.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Well, that idea isn`t working…" Uryuu thought through a bite of his bread. Hanataro seemed more interested in the butterfly sitting on the railing than he was in the conversation. "_Come on…say something….If you don`t, I will!" _Ishida`s thoughts screamed. "_but…that might not work out too well….grr….fine! I`ll do it!"_

"So….do you like bugs?" Uryuu asked and mentally slapped himself in the face. "_Do you like bugs?! Really?! That`s ALL I can think of saying?!" _

"Um…" Hana mumbled. "Well…I like all animals. But, there are a lot more in the human world...I wonder how they all got here…" He trailed off into his curiosity of animals. Well, it got Hana to talk, so he would listen.

"Some people say that because of some religious, God-like being, humans and animals were created. I believe that it was by the scientific process of Evolution." Uryuu answered simply.

"Ohh…." Hana muttered, staring at the butterfly again. Damn it, why did he have to make a smart-ass comment?

"But, you never know…." Hana added with a smile and some hope in his eyes. Uryuu was about to mention that, indeed, it had been proven to be the case, but dropped it. Why crush the boy`s spirit? His innocent was one of Hanataro`s most adorable features. He didn`t want to take it away from him. Instead, he just smiled and nodded as he continued to babble on about how cute some animals were when they were smaller and how scary others were when they grew up, how he wanted to know how birds had wings and fish had scales, how sharks were scary and didn`t need so many teeth, and a bunch of other things a child would ask their science teacher. Well, it was a start. And a conversation, at least.

**-Author`s Notes- Yep, completely in Ishida`s POV! :D Now, do you understand a little? Perhaps, I should have added more of these to make things more understandable, but maybe it`s better that I didn`t ;) There will be more of his thoughts along the way, though. I was up at 5 in the morning the other day and it finally came to me. "People are always asking 'How?' and want to see how he really feels and how they will fall in love. How do I do that? Ishida`s POV! I will make him secretly crazy…" My apologizes for taking so long to write this...Not only did I have a writer`s block, but I`ve been so caught up in Summer reading, Guitar, and Summer activities….along with _Soul Eater _and _Axis Powers Hetalia_. Great shows! Watch them! :D I hope you enjoy this chapter and hopefully, it answered you questions! If not, feel free to ask!**


	7. The Trip to Hell Pt 1

Like always, Hanataro hopped through the door on one foot, trying to tie his left shoe, and held a pencil in his mouth. He wouldn`t be late this time. Today was too important, which was why an even brighter smile had stained his face as he ran through the hallway, screaming apologies left and right. He stood in front of the classroom door, took a deep breath and walked in. Only moments later did the final bell ring. Today was defiantly going to be great, he told himself.

However, through the obnoxiously loud bell, he didn`t hear the slutty teacher`s announcement. She just laid on her desk with her red, low cut shirt and black jacket unbuttoned all the way, and smirked seductively as the guys…and some of the girls….handed in a slip of paper.

"….oh, that`s what I forgot!" Hanataro threw the bag from his shoulder onto a nearby desk (he was too excited to care who was sitting there) and started digging through it. A few people stared in disgust as he tore old papers, funny looking bottles, and candy wrappers out of it and threw them on the floor. Luckily, no one was able to see the soul candy at the bottom! Finally, he had found his permission slip, even though it had some weird orange stuff on the edges. He didn`t even want to find out what it was.

"Thanks, cutie!~ " She winked as she took his paper. Hanataro slowly inched away. It was probably take weeks to get that creepy image out of his head. He had never liked girls too much, but that one was especially hard for him to deal with. Thankfully, she wasn`t going to be with the class today, because this was the day of his first school fieldtrip! Luckily, she wasn`t one of the chaperones today. She was probably going to stay behind and try to get laid by principal guy-who-looks-like-a-circus-performer-man.

Nothing was going to put Hanataro down today. It would be perfect! He would spend an entire day with his friends, other than in school (and perhaps alone time with Ishida, if the fates would allow it?) and they were going to a huge biome –themed zoo-type place. He was excited to see the beauty of different types of land and environments. Plus, any place with cute, fluffy animals is the right one for Hana to be!

"You look….sparkly today. What gives?" Ichigo asked in his usual, ignorant tone.

"Aren`t you EXCITED?! Really, is it only me? I can`t wait! Today is going to be great, I know it!" Hana was practically bouncing off the wall, which made it harder to stop Orihime from dancing along with him.

"It`s good to think positive! I try to wake up every morning and tell myself that, and it usually works too! "

"Dear god, someone stop her before one of her "instant sugar rushes" kick in…" Hanataro froze as he watched Uryuu push his glasses up. His heart was beating fast in his chest, but this time he refused to stop smiling.

"Aw, come on! Smile a little!" Hana giggled.

"Yeah, Uryuu! It`s a great, new day! Show us some teeth! Birds are singing, and…." Orihime struggled to find more cute sounding things.

"The sun is shining…." Hana continued.

"And the flowers are dancing!"

"The Earth says hello! Oh….a-and so do I. Good Morning, Uryuu!" Uryuu couldn`t hold back a small smile as he tried hard not to laugh. Those two were adorably strange on their own, though he would never admit it. Putting them together just made things even stranger than they normally are for him. Not that he was complaining. He wouldn`t mind hearing something bright and cheery every once in a while. He wasn`t ALL deep, dark and depressing.

"Wow, you too are…something else." Uryuu couldn`t help but laugh a little bit. No matter how great things would get, that sound had defiantly made Hanataro`s entire day. That was the first time he had ever made Uryuu laugh in a way that didn`t involve getting hurt.

* * *

"So…this is a bus….I`m really glad that we didn`t have to walk." Hanataro thought as he stared out the window. Orihime was sitting next to him talking to a few of her girl friends about….girly things. He didn`t care to listen, even though he would probably be able to keep up with their conversations better than most other guys. Is that sad?

"Haaaanaaa! Why are you so quiet?! You were dancing and smiling this morning!" Orihime whined.

"I-I`m sorry, Orihime. I didn`t want to bother you…and I was just thinking that we`re lucky that we don`t have to walk to this place."

"Wow, you`re right! We are pretty lucky, huh? It`s a good thing we get to ride in a bus because otherwise, we would get lost or our legs would fall off…and we need our legs. What if we had wings or something or like that?! Then, we could just fly there! That would be so cool!"

"Look Orihime, I know it`s your dream to fly…" tatsuki started. "…but it`s just not possible for humans to sprout wings."

"Tatsuki, you know that my dream is to go to the future and be transformed into a robot with laser-beam eyeballs…but have you ever heard of evolution?! Who knows? Humans could mate with birds one day and then have babies with WINGS! Then, we could all fly around!"

"Even if that happened, you were already born, so you wouldn`t get wings…."

"….but my babies would."

"So, you plan to have sex with a bird so your kids could fly…?"

"EWW! NOOO! But I wouldn`t mind being with a half-bird man…."

"….wow….I give up on you."

Hana laughed. Maybe it wasn`t bad being able to understand girls, especially at a time like this. The window was getting boring to look through anyway. Even with the idiots in the back throwing pencils and crumbled papers around, Hanataro was actually enjoying himself. At least until a half-filled water bottle flew past him and spilled on the girls. They screamed, and Tatuski could have killed the guy right then and there.

"Direct hit!" A bigger guy laughed and high-fived his two friends. Hanataro remembered him instantly. It was the same guys that had ganged up on him on his first day of school. However, this was the first time he had a good look at him. This kid was tall, well-toned, had short, jet black hair and had an evil look in his eyes. For once, Hanataro honestly could have killed him.

"Nice shot!" screamed a short, blond man with scars on his face and bandages on his hands.

"If only there were wearing those white school uniform shirts!" added the fat kid who was purposely bald and had a slithering snake tattooed on his left arm.

"Jerks! Who do you think you are, huh?! I`ll rip that smirk right off your face! Get up here, you cowards!" Tatuski struggled to release herself from the three or four girls holding her back. The implied leader just laughed.

It was then that Hanataro looked at his hands and noticed that the water bottle was laying right in his lap. He did not hesitate to turn around and whip it right at the leader, hitting him right in the head. The whole bus was silent, until preppy people started screaming "ooooh". Hana turned around in his seat and hid himself. How did he do that?!

"Who did that?!"

"Hanataro!"

"What?! Really?!"

"Woah, what a jerk…"

"He`s gonna get it…."

His friends started to clap and cheer. Ichigo patted his shoulder, Uryuu smiled, Orihime gave him a hug, and tatsuki sent him a high-five/ knuckle touch. Hana didn`t know if he was supposed to be proud or ashamed. He still felt those dark eyes from the back of the bus burning a hole through him. Uryyu turned around in his seat.

"I`m really shocked, Hanataro. I didn`t think you had it in you."

"U-um it was nothing really. Probably just an Adrenaline rush….I don`t care what people do to me but… not someone I care about, ya know?"

"Yeah….I know what you mean." Uryuu almost turned back around, but he didn`t want to hold back. Not this time. "I…I`m proud of you, Hana."

"Y-y-you`re…r-really?" Hanataro blushed. He had never expected Uryuu to say something like that….or call him by the cute nickname he was given! Uryuu wasn`t being formal with him. In fact, he said that like they were friends. Did that mean that they were really friends now?

"I am. It`s about time you started to defend yourself…but it`s even better than you did it for someone else. That`s truly admirable."

Hanataro lost all control (and some of the dignity he had just gained) when he started to blush. Sometimes, he wondered why he acted like a love-struck schoolgirl…besides the fact that he was. Minus the girl part.

"Oh, It`s nothing to be admired for, really. I was pretty much just recycling with his face! Ha ha ha…."

"I don`t give out compliments too often...just accept it." Uryuu turned back in his seat and looked out the window. Hana wondered if he had upset him or if he just didn`t want to hear negativity. Either way, his head was spinning. He had never loved the sweet and sour taste of Adrenaline before.

_He….he called me Hana. And he`s proud of me….I don`t think this can get any better…._

He soon forgot about the evil eyes that continued to glare at him from the back of the bus. His feelings of bliss would only be temporary.

* * *

**Author`s note: There are a LOT of things that I need to say here….I am EXTREMLY sorry for the long wait! I have had trouble getting a good idea and I have been really busy and stressed. But I finally got this chapter up! And I promise, no matter what, I shall not quit until this story is finished! :) Oh, and I`m half sorry about this xD This part is nothing like what I had in mind, but I needed something to get to the good part :P I can`t wait to write it!**

**I love how I kept putting personal things in this chapter! I actually do say "the earth smiles for you…and so do I" to my friends in the morning. The "show me some teeth" thing is an inside joke, although it seemed like a simple comment. And the water bottle thing actually happened to me a month ago! Some idiots were throwing pencils and a not completely empty water bottle and it hit me and my two friends. It landed on my lap so I whipped it back and hit one of them in the head! The preps FREAKED OUT and it was HILARIOUS! And it is the only time I will allow a freshman to get away with calling me a "bitchy, slutty-ass whore"…since I was able to tell him to go f***k himself….with a smile! Lol**

**Side note: does ANYONE remember the slutty teacher lady, or was that from a completely different anime?! I just remember seeing a lady lying on a desk screaming something at her students that sounded something like "oh yes, come and play teacher! Oh, oh yes!" Yeah, that was awkward for me to even type… **

**There is one last thing I have to say. I probably should have mentioned this before this even started. I was looking at some old reviews and realized that a lot of people keep saying that Hanataro and Ishida are out of character….that is the point. I did that on purpose, but I try not to take it too far. I wanted to make Ishida come out of his cold, hard shell a little. I also wanted Hanataro to be a little ambitious, and show that teenage hormones are hard…especially when he had just started attending school. Those things area hard to deal with separately, especially with gaining and losing hope with love. So I tried my best to portray that. Apparently, it`s not working. Please tell me if I am doing this right!!! **

**Part 1 has ended and part 2 will be so much more intense, I promise!!! And It will be posted very, very soon!**


	8. The Trip to Hell pt2

"Hey, Orohime…are we there yet?" Hanataro asked for about the billionth time. There had been on that bus for almost two hours and for them, it was a really long time to sit.

"I`m not sure…Ichigo, are we-"

"No! We`re not there yet!"

"Well, when will we get there?"

"You`ll just know…"

"Well that`s not very specific…" Orohime whined. She sat down and pulled out of bag of her homemade orange-chocolate covered gummy worms. Surprisingly, Hana thought they were delicious. Everyone else would rather hit their head off the window to avoid eating anything she brought_. "That`s their loss!"_ Hanataro thought. He looked out the window and stared at the shades of green that colored the quickly changing suburban landscape. He found it too easy to lose himself in the fluffy clouds and the need to forget the need to keep track of time. It only took about ten minutes for the bus to reach its destination. Ichigo couldn't get off of the bus fast enough as Orohime teased him about how he "lied about not being almost there."

The land outside of the bus seemed almost like a state park. There was beautiful scenery, a huge lake, and a series of small buildings. Each building was a different type of museum, including art, history, and aquatic life and there was a small zoo on the other side.

"Doesn't this seem more like a 3rd grade field trip?" Ichigo asked. No one else said anything. The girls didn't seem to mind, Hanataro was thrilled and Uryuu saw this as an opportunity to break some of his antisocial habits and, perhaps, make sense of a few things that have been running through his head. Today, he would figure out exactly it was about this boy that increased his heart rate and blood pressure...if he didn't have a heart attack first.

The first area they went to was the aquarium. It was incredible! The entire building was filled with exotic fish, whales, seals, pretty much anything imaginable! Hanataro was amazed. How can so many different creatures coexist in one small area? He was so amused! Uryuu was one of the few that noticed that when they had found the penguin exhibit, Hana practically had his face pressed against the glass. _"Can he be any cuter?" _he wondered. He immediately shook away the thought. He wasn't going to let himself get distracted. It was a good time to take a chance.

"Having fun?" he asked as he pushed up his glasses and placed his arms behind his back to hide his twiddling fingers. Yet another one of his nervous habits,

"Of course!" Hana exclaimed. "Animals are so amusing. But penguins have to be one of my favorites. They`re so sweet and fun to watch." He smiled and watched some of the penguins dive into the water. His laugh was like music to Uryuu`s ears. He couldn't quite explain it, but it warmed his heart just a little. They went to join the rest of the crowd, until Hana tripped and caught himself before he could fall. That was the first time he realized that the floor was also a giant tank filled with stingrays! He looked back up and watched one of the penguins fall over on its stomach.

"I think that one is making fun of you..." Uryuu chuckled. "You`re defiantly as clumsy as a penguin...well, since you got a good look at the floor...I have to ask this. Did you notice that the ceiling is completely filled with tiger sharks?" Hana looked up slowly and stared in awe. Uryuu smirked, secretly satisfied with seeing that look on his face. As they kept moving forward, there was a special tank in the aisle with only one weird looking creature in it. It was pink and had really big eyes... and arms and legs. But it was a fish! Needless to say, it was adorable! And when a baby puffer fish swam up to him in the big tank next to him, Hana swore he was being surrounded by cute.

"hey, little guy..."He said to the little puffer fish and gently tapped the glass. "You're probably just as cute as that weird thing over there."

"I wouldn`t do that if I were you..." Uryuu warned as Hanataro continued to tap the glass. "They tend to..." Hanataro jumped as the fish turned into a giant ball with spikes. "...do that."

"Well that`s kinda...neat. Imagine playing dodge ball with that thing! But I like the other one better..."

"...don`t even think about it. You can`t keep that one. Read the plague...it`s an endangered species."

"Aww...no fair!"

_"Wow..."_ Uryuu thought. _"I suppose this is improvement. I think I could get used to this."_

The first half of the day had been amazing so far. After the aquarium, the group reached the zoo area of the park. Hanataro got to feed an elephant, got licked by a giraffe and saw so many tigers, crocodiles, snakes, pandas, exotic birds...even a lion! To the others, this was nothing new at all. Hana felt like a child on a new adventure. Now they were on a quest to find a place to sit for lunch. Well, the girls seemed to be pickier than the boys, so they just sorta followed.

"Well, there`s a food stand over here..." Orohime pointed out. Tatski and Rukia seemed a bit doubtful.

"Yeah, but the tables are directly in the sun..." Tatski argued. That gave Rukia an idea.

"Then we`ll just grab food and go over there." She pointed over to a tall tree next to the lake. It was perfect. It had a ton of shade and the most beautiful view. Mission accomplished!

"Um, I already have mine with me, so I guess I`ll just meet you guys over there..."

"Alright." Ichigo said. "Just don`t fall in the lake or something. Mine`s back on the bus, so I`ll catch up."

"Me too." Uryuu followed. The girls left to get their own food and Hanataro went in the other direction. The lake was even bigger and more wonderful than it had looked earlier. The sun touched the water in a glorious way that made it sparkle with perfection. It was filled with freshly bloomed lotus flowers and koi fish that nibbled at little pieces of bread that children were throwing in the water. Such a peaceful moment...

Well, it was for a little while.

From a distance, the three punks from earlier were planning their next attack. He was alone, and having no one around made it a perfect chance for payback. However, being dressed in black in the middle of the day is a bad form of camouflage. Hana could see them from a mile away. As they made their way over to him, he prayed that they were just passing by. But he knew better. This was nothing new to him.

"Hey, you..." The leader of the three called out. Hanataro easily ignored him. He chuckled and slicked back his jet black hair. "Ya, that`s I thought...ya' ain`t so tough without them girls around, are ya?" Still no response.

"Come on, tough guy." The blonde chimed in. "You put on quite a show before...why not show us what you got?"

"Go on..." the biggest one grabbed him by his hair and forced him to his feet."...get up."

"Really, it was just an accident...p-please just put me down..." Hana begged. God, how he hated this. The talking before the fight was even worse than the actual beating. He never had anything tough or clever to say.

"Oh, we`ll let ya down..." The leader snickered. With a snap of his fingers, the big guy lifted Hanataro into the air and face first into the water. He didn`t release his grip on his handful of hair. Hanataro panicked and struggled to break free. This was worse than he could possibly imagine. He could easily take a few hits and bruises; he was getting used to being humiliated...but never suffocated. He felt himself slipping. He couldn`t see, couldn`t breathe-he couldn`t even scream. All he could hear was their sick, twisted laughter and thought _"Is this it? Surely they wouldn`t mean to..."_

On the surface, the three of them only laughed. Their sense of humor was almost disturbing.

"Should we give em' some air, boss?"

"Nah. Let him suffer for a little longer."

"Boss, I don`t think he can-"

"Ah, shutup! He can handle it." From a distance, Uryuu and Ichigo finally had a clear view of what was going on. Without a second thought, Uryuu ran like hell with Ichigo close behind. He. was. furious. They managed to grab the girls' attention. They ran to find someone-anyone. ichigo grabbed the guy from behind while Uryuu grabbed Hana from the water. His lungs felt a sweet release as his lips tasted the air. He chocked violently with the water deep in his throat.

"Aw, way to ruin all the fun!" the leader yelled.

"How dare you!" Uryuu yelled, still standing in the shallow end. "What the hell is wrong with you? You could have killed him! And for what? a sick joke? You`re all damn lucky if I don`t kill you first! You lousy son of a-"

"You three! You`re dead!" The girls followed close behind a very pissed off teacher. "Follow me. Now! I`m used to the normal crap you pull, but you`ve damn well crossed the line. Not only with harassment, but with endangering this boy`s life! I`m not just talking about getting expelled; this can be seen as attempted murder if we really want to press charges!" She ranted on as they were dragged back to the bus. The whole place was silent, filled with rage, fear and disgust.

"Are you alright?" Uryuu asked as the girls crowded around Hanataro. He was shaking. His eyes were wide.

"I...I really thought...they would kill me..." he stuttered. Orohime wrapped her arms around him, but hugs couldn't even help him at this point. Uryuu had never felt a stronger need to protect someone. Seeing that terrified look in Hanataro`s eyes was killing him.

"Hey..." he started, with a small, hopeful smile."They can`t bother you anymore. You`re save." Hana stared at him, his face turning red. He was speechless. Uryuu had saved his life, defended him...but why?

"I`m not really sure what you`re going to do about clothes..." Ichigo said. Hanataro obviously couldn`t stay in soaking wet clothes for the rest of the day.

"I have an extra sweatshirt on the bus..." Uryuu offered. "I`m sure there`s a lost and found or something that you can borrow pants from..."

"U-um...t-thank you..." Hana stuttered. "I-I`m sorry...that I made you so mad before..."

"You didn`t do anything wrong...don`t get yourself worked up." He patted him on the shoulder and left with Rukia to find extra clothes. Hana felt his heart beat hard in his chest. He closed his eyes, having never felt so grateful or touched.

"You were a real hero today, Ishida!" Rukia praised.

"Anyone would have done the same..." Uryuu blushed and pushed his glasses up.

"Okay, but you really stuck up for him...almost like it was personal. It seems like you`re really starting to care about him..." She smiled, obviously not understanding the deeper meaning behind her words. Maybe she was right. Maybe he did care. Maybe the adrenaline wasn`t the only thing making his heart beat so fast in his chest.

The others ate in silence while Hana changed. Uryuu had to mentally prepare himself for when he came back. At the time, he was simply being helpful; it took him a while to realize that he gave Hana his _sweater,_ of all things. It just seemed so...cliche romantic couple-ie, with a little bit of edge. He felt like an idiot. He needed to find a way to get a grip before he came back. If the others caught on...dear god, he couldn`t even imagine the torment.

"u-um...I`m back..." Hana mumbled shyly as he made it back to his spot. Uryuu blushed just a little bit. Hanataro had Uryuu`s blue half sleeved hoodied sweetshirt and black gym shorts with a yellow strip down each side that were rolled up about five times. And yet, he still looked cute. Except for that look on his face, Uryuu noticed. He didn`t really know what to say, or even if he should say anything. That`s another one of the many things that made talking to Hanataro even more difficult for him. There are two things that he can never get completly used to: cuteness and emotion. Hana had plenty of both.

Hanataro was out of it for most of the history section. He would barely respond to anyone who tried to talk to him. Everyone agreed that this was unlike him. Some even considered making a bet to see who can make him smile first. Since no one else was able to succeed, Uryuu figured he`d give it a shot. Hell, he was already going against his usual standards and behavior, so why not? As they passed a model of the bone structure of a stegosaurus, he figured he would try doing was he did best: act like a nerd.

"You know...it`s interesting to see what sort of organisms came before the human race..." He started. " To think that after all this time, each piece is still in perfect condition...it almost comes to life, in a way."

"It`s pretty neat..." Hana sighed. To be honest, he wasn`t really interested in dead stuff.

"That`s it? These bones have been perfectly preserved by fossilization for billions of years, far beyond human existence in a world that was completely different from modern time...this complex structure demonstrates just how much has occurred throughout the ages..."

"Well, that`s pretty cool, I guess." Uryuu was shocked. He honestly couldn`t believe that Hana could be so interested in a fish but couldn`t care less about the glorious history behind that dinosaur age. It was unbelievable.

"You do realize that their existence lead to the evolution that created the animals you see today, right? Like those fish back at the aquarium...?"

"True..." Hana gave him a nervous smile. "Sorry...I`ve just never been into this sort of thing..."

"You mean you`re not even the slightest bit curious about how the world originated?"

"Nah, I just like to live for the moment instead of thinking about the past...it`s better to think of "what is" instead of "what was", if that makes sense."

"Actually...I guess it does." Uryuu had never thought of it that way. Lately, Hana has been giving him plenty of things to think about, and even new ways to do it. He would probably never cease to fascinate him. "Maybe I only care so much because, as a kid, I wanted to be an archeologist...sounds pretty weird, doesn`t it?"

"Really? Aww, that`s actually pretty cute! But I guess you probably wouldn`t care much for the next section then, huh?" Hana asked.

"The Art Section? On the contrary...I do have a bit of interest in it. There is a little history behind every piece of art, you know."

"That`s a good point...but artists are in it for the feeling, not for a page or two in a history book!"

"...touché." Hana laughed, feeling happy about his victory. Uryuu felt a bit of relief when he saw his smile return. He didn`t know why. It just seemed to put him at ease. He also found it pretty amusing that he could shout out dates and artists and times periods all he wanted and Hanataro could easily top off all logic with one of his deeply voiced opinions. So much so that they still held up conversation until they reached the bus to head home. Orohime had taken Uryuu`s seat next to Ichigo, so they ended up sitting together anyway. Naturally, Uryuu thought nothing of it and continued to read his manga. Hana`s heart was soaring. He needed to do something to contain it, or he would explode. He took out a sketchbook and one of his shading pencils from his bag and placed them in his lap. He loved to draw, but he never told anyone, since he was afraid someone would steal it or tear up the pages or something. The only thing on his mind, aside from his racing heart, was the beautiful scene he witnessed at the lake before the incident. He immediately started to shape out the koi fish dancing in the cool sparkling water. Even that couldn`t stop him from thinking about everything. About halfway through the bus ride, he realized that he needed to say something, anything. It didn`t need to be long, it didn`t need to be well thought up...he just needed to say something. He held his sketchbook up to his chest, hoping to cover it without smudging the pencil lines, and took a chance at it.

"Hey, um...Uryuu..." He started, quickly figuring out what he wanted to say. He was no longer feeling shy.

"Yes?" Uryuu asked as he lifted his eyes from the page.

"Sorry to bother you, but...I never got to thank you earlier...so..."

"You`re not bothering me. And you certainly don`t need to thank me for that..." feeling a little nervous, he lifted to book back to his face to avoid eye contact. "I wasn`t going to let you suffocate."

"Well, still...thank you. It really means a lot to me." Hana smiled and went back to his sketches. Uryuu took a quick glance every now and then just to get a glimpse of his face. He did it again. Despite all of the progress that was made, he was still a little shy. But what was he supposed to say, " For some strange reason, I had an uncontrollable need to protect you" or "I won`t let anyone harm you"? That would be perfect if his life was a romance novel and he had all of the courage in the world. But he didn`t, and it was a little soon for anything like that anyway, even if he did. As he glanced over, he noticed the glow of the sunset fading in the window shine on Hana`s face, his cheeks, his warm smile, his lips. He had never thought to look at every part of him before, but he was beginning to take in all of the little details. Hana was flawless in his eyes. How was it possible that he had never seen it before? Perhaps he never had the chance to look deeper...or maybe he never let himself before now. But it felt incredible. For just a moment, time stood still...and it felt right. There was no one, not even Van Gogh or Dali or Picasso, who could portray that moment better if they had tried. There was only one word that came to mind..."Beautiful." For once, he had not turned to logic for an explanation, but to the beauty in his heart telling him that this was love. It had nothing historical or scientifically about it...no mathematical equations or probable theories... just a feeling he couldn`t shake off. A feeling that made nothing else matter. One that had changed his entire life without even seeing it happen right in front of him.

**Author`s note: WOOOW! It`s been a long time...a lot longer than it seems. I`m so sorry that this took so long! I`ve had this is mind for a long time, but I never had a way of writing it. My writing style was a little off for this one, but I still like it personally. Hanataro seems a lot like myself, so I always have fun with this. ^^ I will be updating more frequently, once I get my college plans settled out. I will not let this go unfinished! Also, I would have had this sooner, but my internet has been out for almost a month…it's been killing me. _I certainly hope this was worth the wait!**

**So, in summary, Uryuu tries to settle out his feelings so he can accept them and Hanataro tries to get closer to him without getting the crap beaten out of him…and fails. Will his luck ever change? Even I have no idea. w**

****if you were wondering what the strange pink fish was, check out this link! It`s "The Mexican Walking Fish", or the ****Axolotl Salamander. :3****à**

**Bonus: Look how freaking cute this puffer fish is! (3) ****à****./tumblr_ljzfvaeiK01qbo9bpo1_**


End file.
